Project 10073 Record Card — Smithville, Tennessee, 28 April 1960

This document contains a collection of records regarding Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings reported during May 1960, centered around a formal report from Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee. The primary case involves a sighting on 28 April 1960, near Smithville, Tennessee. A 28-year-old civilian observer reported seeing a round, red, flashing light, approximately the size of a basketball, moving from the North to the South before stopping three times and turning East to disappear. The observer, who was outside to gather coal, watched the object for three minutes at an estimated altitude of 200 to 300 feet. The investigating officer, 1/LT Jim E. Hartley, interviewed the witness and concluded that the object was likely an aircraft seen at a distance, noting that the witness himself was uncertain. The document also includes a summary list of other sightings reported throughout May 1960 across the United States and abroad, including locations such as Decatur, Illinois; Glendale, Arizona; and various sites in Canada and the Pacific. These additional entries categorize sightings by date, location, observer, and evaluation, with many labeled as 'Insufficient Data,' 'Astro (Meteor),' or 'Other.' Furthermore, the document contains brief information-only notes on sightings from April 1960 in Mt. Prospect, New Hampshire; Conrad, Montana; Big Bend, Wisconsin; and Plymouth, New Hampshire. These notes describe various phenomena, including cigar-shaped objects and red lights, often reported by local residents or mentioned in local news clippings. The overall file serves as a record of the Air Force's intelligence gathering and evaluation process under Project 10073 and AFR 200-2, documenting the systematic review of reports to distinguish between conventional aircraft, astronomical events, and unidentified phenomena.